


Sphallolalia

by Penthesilea1623



Series: Battle Maiden [4]
Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Jealousy, flirting as a distraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 07:55:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16850137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penthesilea1623/pseuds/Penthesilea1623
Summary: Sphallolalia:  Flirtatious talk that leads nowhereNell Cousland and Zevran Arainai love to flirt. Alistair isn't sure if that means anything, he just knows that he doesn't like it.





	Sphallolalia

Travelling the length and breadth of Ferelden gathering allies for the fight against the Darkspawn while trying to avoid embroiling the nation in a civil war, sounded as if it should be exciting, as if it should be something that should take all your attention and hurl you from one death defying encounter to the next,

The truth be told there was a lot of walking and a lot of setting up and breaking down camps. There was a lot of camping in general actually, and a lot of talking to help pass the time.

Nell walked back to the main campfire after speaking with Morrigan. Trying to speak, would probably be a more accurate description, she thought rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. She’d never met someone who was more suspicious and confused by simple human interaction than Morrigan. Of course she’d never met anyone raised by Flemeth before. She could barely imagine what that would have been like. Her thoughts immediately went to her own childhood. She’d always felt safe and secure and loved, more than anything else she’d felt loved, been loved, and hadn’t realized how much she’d taken it for granted until she’d woken up to a cold drizzle and Duncan’s watchful gaze the morning after Howe’s attack. 

She immediately pushed the thought out of her mind. Or tried to. 

“Ah, my lovely goddess. You seem out of sorts. Was the fair Morrigan less than friendly?” Zevran was sitting by the fire. Lounging was more like it. 

She couldn’t help a small snort of laughter. ”That’s one way of putting it.” Her neck twinged again and she reached up to rub it. 

Zevran was watching her carefully. “You are weary as well. And stiff. It’s all this walking about. Do you know what you need?”

“A horse?” She suggested. 

“A massage, my dear. Lucky for you I have skills other than my amazing sexual prowess.”

“Lucky indeed,” She agreed. “I’m not certain how well seduction would work on the Darkspawn.” She considered the offer. Apparently being flung about by demons in the Fade had a physical effect in the real world because her neck had been hurting her ever since. She’d meant to ask Wynne to take a look at it, but the mage had retired almost as soon as her tent had been set up. “I am tempted.” She admitted.

“Of this I am well aware, but we were speaking merely of a massage. Must everything be about sex with you?” Asked Zevran, feigning offense.

She couldn’t help laughing, which she suspected had been Zevran”s intent. “My apologies. When I’m with you it somehow just keeps coming up.” 

“All too true, but how insensitive of you to point out my weakness with the others around.”

Leliana gave a small disdainful snort. Alistair’s face was bright red and he was stirring the stew over the fire furiously. Sten had his back to them and was resolutely ignoring them. 

“Come, take off that bulky armor and sit before me.” Zevran said patting the ground in front of him. 

She began unfastening the buckles that held the chestpiece in place. ”Ordering me to undress without even offering me dinner or flowers first? And I’d heard Antivan men were so smooth.” She slipped out of it, and sat cross legged in front of him clad only in the leather leggings and the sleeveless cotton undershirt she’d worn beneath.

Zevran knelt behind her and put his hands lightly on her shoulders. ”They are indeed, my dear. A wonderful concoction that smells of almonds, and removes all that unwanted body hair that gets in the way of that perfect skin to skin contact. I shall endeavour to find some the next time we venture into some place more civilized.” His hands had found the knot of muscles and he was working it carefully. 

“Maker that feels good.” She murmured, letting her head drop forward. "I happen to like hair on a man.“ The glimpse she’d had of Alistair the other morning when he’d come back from bathing in a nearby stream came immediately to mind. He hadn’t put his shirt back on and she’d been unable to help but notice the way the drops of water dripped down and then clung to his chest hair before eventually trailing down his abdomen. She’d just gaped at him until Zevran had reached over and gently closed her mouth. "I like the contrast of textures.” She informed the elf. “And I think we could spend what little coin we have on other things we need far more.” 

“Perhaps a trip to a den of pleasure for our handsome warrior? A young woman to instruct him in the ways of the world?” Zevran whispered in her ear. 

“Be nice.” Nell warned him. She looked over at Alistair and found him watching them. He immediately blushed and turned away. She’d been almost as surprised as Zevran when she’d found out Alistair was a virgin. Surprised, and intrigued, and if she was honest more than a little turned on. 

“We could save a bit of coin if one of us were to instruct him ourselves, of course.” Zevran suggested. “But who would volunteer for such an arduous task?” He said giving her a knowing leer.

She just snorted. ”You for one.” 

“In an instant, my goddess. But somehow I think Alistair’s tastes do not lean that way. Perhaps Leliana would be willing.” He suggested

She turned and gave him a sharp look, and he laughed in delight. “So, the admiration is not just one-sided then. You would make a striking couple.” 

She turned away, but couldn’t quite keep from smiling. ”Shut up and keep massaging.”

“I hear and obey." 

After a moment she asked. “Do you really think he admires me?” 

"Ah Carissima. Would you like me to pass him a note and find out?” He laughed at the withering glance she sent him, and then pressed a kiss to the side of her neck which she barely felt, as preoccupied as she was by her thoughts of Alistair. 

“Stew’s done if anyone’s interested.” Alistair announced, throwing the wooden spoon into the pot, and pushing himself to his feet. "I’m going to get some sleep before my watch.“ He stalked over to his tent and untied the flaps, letting them fall closed. 

She woke with a start several hours later, in a cold sweat, her heart racing. She’d been dreaming: of her parents, of Howe, of fire and blood and screams. The archdemon hadn’t made an appearance, so she supposed she should be grateful for that.

The small tent was suddenly stifling and she pushed her way out of it. Alistair was sitting by the fire. He looked up at her with a scowl which vanished almost immediately when he took in her appearance. 

"Bad dreams?” He asked.

She just nodded. 

“Want to join me for a bit?”

She didn’t answer, but moved to sit beside him, as close as she dared without actually touching him. 

“Archdemon?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No.”

“Ah.” It must be that other thing. What had happened to her family. She hadn’t talked to anyone about it as far as he knew. He wasn’t even quite sure what had happened, and Duncan had ordered him not to pry. "Do you want to talk about it?“ 

Another shake of her head. 

He poked at the fire not knowing what to do. “Do you want to talk to Zevran? I could go get him.”

She gave him a confused frown and he continued. “You seem to like to talk to him. You’re always laughing together and making those jokes and comments. He touches you all the time. You both flirt with each other. All the time. Always with the flirting.” He tried not to sound jealous but suspected he failed miserably.

When he looked at her she was smiling. A pretty sad smile, true, but a smile. ”Sphallolalia.” She said.

He blinked at her. ”I’m sorry?” He finally said. 

"Sphallolalia.” She repeated.

“Gesundheit?” He offered tentatively, and then grinned when she actually laughed.

“I had a tutor growing up, a wonderful clever man named Aldous. He loved words. He loved finding obscure words that would describe what he saw as flaws in my character, and then making me figure out what they meant. I had to find the root of them, decide whether it was Orlesian or Tevene, or even Almarri. When I was about fifteen and just discovering the opposite sex he gave me the word "sphallolalia”.

“Maker, and I thought the brothers at the Chantry were tough on us.”

She laughed again and it made him realize how little he’d heard the sound from her. ”No, I used to love doing it. And it was a much better way of making me look at my own behavior. Sphallolalia is flirtatious talk that leads nowhere.” She gave him a pointed look.

“Oh.” said Alistair. After a second he repeated it. “Oh! Then you and Zevran aren’t…you don’t…”

“Sphallolalia. Zev and I both have things we’d rather not think about. We’re just keeping ourselves distracted.” She looked around the campground, and briefly at her own tent. She didn’t want to go back in there. She didn’t want to be alone. “Do you mind if I sleep out here for a while?”

“Not a bit.” Alistair watched as she went back to her tent and returned with her bedroll laying it down beside him, and lying down on top of it. so her head was next to him. She seemed to fall asleep almost immediately.

She looked different sleeping. Not nearly so formidable. And much younger. When he’d first met her he’d thought she was older than he was, but now he wasn’t so sure. A breeze blew a piece of hair into her face and without thinking he reached over and brushed it back. Maker her hair was soft. He let himself touch it once more and then pulled his hand away.

“Don’t stop.” She mumbled sleepily. 

After just a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and resumed stroking her hair.

Her lips curved into a smile. ”S’nice.” She said, shifting a little closer to him. She reached out a hand and let it rest on his calf, as if she needed the reassurance that he was there.

“Yeah. It is.” He answered softly, looking down at her, his hand continuing to caress her short brown hair. He’d take her watch, he decided. She needed the rest.

**Author's Note:**

> I've got some inspiration photos and such relating to Battle Maiden on my tumblr. You can link directly to them here:  
> [Battle Maiden photo/style references](http://penthesilea1623.tumblr.com/search/battle+maiden)


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